The gunman’s father told US media that his son got angry when he recently saw two men kissing in Miami. He said that might be related to the attack.

Yet during Sunday's Sky Papers, journalist Hartley-Brewer and Mark Longhurst continued to equate the attack to that on the Bataclan, causing tensions to mount.

While discussing The Telegraph's front page, Jones pointed out that the Orlando attack is the biggest mass killing of LGB people in the West since the Holocaust.

Daily Telegraph

Monday's Daily Telegraph front page

He said: "People rationalise their hatred. This guy, apparently, according to his dad, saw two men kissing and he was repulsed by it.

"And people know this who are gay, that there are people out there who are sickened and repulsed by our very existence and this guy, however he dresses up his bigotry and hatred, is somebody who hates gays.

"He hates LGBT people and he had a gun... and he used that to murder LGBT people.

"But can we just be clear, because you say it's lunatics and the rest of it, if he went into a synagogue and killed innocent Jewish people... we call it out for what it is.

"This person is a homophobic terrorist, whatever else he is," adding: "At the end of the day this was a homophobic crime, as well as terrorism and it has to be called out."

Longhurst likened the attack to the Bataclan attack in Paris in November, saying it was an attack on the freedom of people trying to enjoy themselves.

Jones replied: "I'm sorry, but you just don't understand this because you're not gay."

Longhurst retorted: "Whether I'm gay or not has no reflection on the fact that this person killed 50 people."

The presenter then looked to tomorrow's Daily Telegraph headline, which read 'Isil wages war on gays in the West'.

He said: "Now you (pointing to Jones) share that view that basically this was deliberately targeted on one part of the community rather than the freedom to enjoy yourself no matter what your sexual orientation is?"

Jones: "What on earth, what are you talking about?"

Longhurst said: "I'm talking about the coverage in the newspapers. That's what we're here for."

Jones: "And I am trying to understand the point you're making. This was a deliberate attack on LGBT people in an LGBT venue. It was a homophobic terrorist attack. Do you not understand that?

"It's not an abstract, he just picked a random club out of nowhere. He picked a club because it was full of people that he regarded as deviants."

Hartley-Brewer responded by saying that the shooter would be as "horrified" by her as a "gobby woman".

Jones was visibly frustrated by the pair's comments and asked them why they were trying to "deflect".

He said: "I just find this the most astonishing thing I have ever been involved with on television."

As the discussion moved onto comments made by a spokesman from LGBT organisation, Stonewall, Jones said: "Oh, you're going to have an LGBT voice talking about it? Interesting."

Jones said: "I've had enough of this, I'm going home. Sorry."

People on social media were overwhelmingly supportive of Jones' stance.

Watching #SkyPapers and @OwenJones84 was absolutely right to refuse to participate any longer. Attempt to downplay homophobia disgusting